What are the key process parameters of high-power laser cutting?

What are the key process parameters of high-power laser cutting?
The laser cutting process is complex and has many influencing factors, including laser output power, cutting speed, defocusing amount, and cutting material properties. If the process parameters are not selected properly, the cutting quality will be greatly affected, such as rough cutting surface, chipping on the section, or adhesion of slag on the back.
1. Cutting speed
The cutting speed is generally set to a lower value within the upper and lower limits of the speed. If the speed is too large or too small, it will affect the cutting quality and cause dross or even incomplete cutting.
When the cutting speed is too low, the laser energy density is too large, and the heat-affected zone becomes larger, which will result in increased dross and wide and rough cutting seams. When the cutting speed is too high, the laser energy density is low, and it may not cut through.
Incision verticality and slag height are particularly sensitive to speed parameters, followed by incision width and surface roughness.
Operations that can increase cutting speed include:
●Increase power
●Change the beam mode
●Reduce the focus spot size (if using a short focal length lens)
2. Focus position
After the laser beam is focused, the spot size is proportional to the length of the lens. After the beam is focused by the short focal length lens, the spot size is very small, and the power density at the focal point is very high, which is very beneficial for material cutting; but its disadvantage is that the focal depth is very short and the adjustment margin is small. It is generally suitable for high-speed cutting Thin material. For thick workpieces, since the telephoto lens has a wider focal depth, as long as it has sufficient power density, it is more suitable for cutting it. Due to the extremely high power density at the focal point, in most cases, when cutting, the focal point is just at the surface of the workpiece, or slightly below the surface of the workpiece. Ensuring that the relative position of the focal point and the workpiece is constant is an important condition for obtaining stable cutting quality. Sometimes the lens is heated due to poor cooling during operation, which causes the focal length to change, which requires timely adjustment of the focal position.

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